[769] – Y03.069 – East Port III
The market of East Port was not like any other market. Yes, there was Market Road, something not unique to East Port, but the market was larger, more expansive, and full of colour. While other markets focused on a variety of ways to focus on themselves, very few did so with the aesthetic eye of East Port, the City of a Thousand Colours.
Adam, wore a scarf around his head, though it was not needed. The scarf was yellow, though the the East Portians would have certainly called it something else. He had left his puthral armour behind, though carried his axe at his side, causing some eyes to fall across him. If it wasn’t for Sir Vonda, he would have surely gotten into trouble already.
Vonda brushed her fingers along the fabric, feeling how smooth it was to the touch. Adam, who had brought so many pieces of cloth previously. However, he realised he would need so much more cloth, and he also needed assistance to recall the exact colours which he had brought previously.
“This feeling is right,” Vonda said, nodding her head finally. “How much for each cloth?”
“Each roll, nine gold,” the devilkin merchant replied. He wore loose fabric over his body, an orange which no doubt brought the fruit such envy. He wore a turban atop his head, and his eyes were lined with black, emphasising the deep red of his pupils, while his thick beard had been dyed so it appeared orange, though the black could be seen from the streaks following his moustache.
“How many rolls would you like to buy?” Vonda asked.
Adam thought for a long moment. “Vonda, do you recall how the colours were going to be distributed?”
Vonda closed her eyes, trying to recall the conversations she had with Jaygak about the colours after she had tricked him. “Red for the guards, the greyish blue for the workers, the brighter blue for higher ranking individuals, red for the trim, and black...”
“Right, black was for the elite squad, probably,” Adam replied, vaguely recalling his thoughts from back then. “Then let’s go with... five each? No, let’s make it five each for the red and blue, but let’s get ten for the blueish grey.”
“Greyish blue,” Vonda corrected.
“If you’re going to correct me, at least tell me the name of the colour,” Adam joked. “Alright, we’ll order the twenty rolls total.” Adam glanced around and noted the urchins around. “I need five walkers.”
The walkers swarmed around him, though Adam picked five of them at random, before passing along copper coins to those he didn’t pick. The walkers who he had picked each readied their wooden packs, accepting four rolls in each pack, before they made their way through the market to check out more wares.
Adam ordered food from some of the nearby stalls, spending the coppers for the walkers too, allowing them a break.
“Ooh! Aah!” Adam gasped, having not realised the food he had ordered was so full of fiery spice.
Vonda smiled, nibbling on her stick of meat, with flecks of red and green within them, denoting how hot they were going to be. Thankfully Adam didn’t order the meat with the purple flecks, which even cause devilkin trouble.
The devilkin merchants had brought so much with them to East Port, not just the wares they brought from foreign lands across the seas. Adam noted the different cuisines on offer within the market stalls, from simple potatoes and local fish, to exotic meats and fruits. He continued to silently eat away at his food, doing his best to push through the spice. Had it been spicier, surely he would have had to roll to see if he could handle it.
“Since we’re getting some cloth...”
The devilkin merchant had skin of the deepest red, and wore a turban which was the most yellow of yellows. He wore a scale cuirass which covered his body, and carried the hilt of a scimitar at his side, the blade lost to the winds.
“Yellow Turban,” Adam called, and the devilkin pretended to notice him at that moment, his eyes going wide, his pearly white teeth flashing into the most charming smile.
“Noor blesses me for it is mister Adam, with handsome face, who grace my stall!” Yellow Turban held out his hands to emphasise his point. “The most dear Sir Vonda, always good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you as well, Yellow Turban,” Vonda replied, bowing her head.
“Son of cat! Wake up, you foolish boy, always sleeping!”
A boy, no older than eight, sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at his father with the most indignant look Adam had ever seen, before he spat out a response in their tongue.
“This Yellow Turban cannot complain,” the merchant replied, flashing a wide smile.
“Alright...” Adam decided against prying further since it was Yellow Turban business.
“Your brother is to fight in tournament?”
“Not this year.”
“Your brother, any children?”
“Not yet,” Adam replied with a small smile. “I believe he’s working on that.”
“I pray for him.”
“I will too.”
Kalid returned holding two rolls, one of a beautiful shimmering gold, and another of a yellow which was yellow, but not quite the yellow Adam expected. It was a moderate yellow, not as vibrant as the yellows around, or as pale as some of the yellows Yellow Turban kept mostly out of sight.
“It’s a nice yellow,” Adam said.
“Son of cat! I said yellow solar, not solar yellow!” Yellow Turban whipped a cloth just above his son’s head, though the boy dodged needlessly, taking the cloth with him. He returned but seconds later with the right roll as though it had been stashed aside, the cloth slightly more vibrant than the previous.
‘There are too many colours in this world,’ Adam thought.
“Take the rolls as gifts,” Yellow Turban said, offering the roll of Salifi gold from his arms to Vonda.
“How can we accept when we came empty handed?” Adam asked. “I would have brought some magical items, but the business is so busy.”
“No need to say,” Yellow Turban said. “When your business is open, there is no need to be strangers, yes?”
“Of course,” Adam replied. “After all, we’re no strangers, especially after how much gold you made from us.”
Yellow Turban smirked wide. “Let us see if this meeting brings such gold, yes?”
Adam chuckled. “Let’s hope. Well, thank you for the gift. Any chance I could ask for Kalid’s company?”
Yellow Turban let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “He cannot, this son of cat, for he is to be learning this day.”
“You see, mister Adam? I am only slave for my father.”
Yellow Turban almost slapped the boy’s head, grabbing it seemingly roughly, though the pair moved with practised violence, doing little to actually hurt the boy. Yellow Turban held Kalid’s head seemingly tightly. “It is your business to be slave for your father, son of cat!”
“Ah, what a shame,” Adam replied, glancing around at the devilkin nearby, including a guard dressed all in yellow, covering all but their eyes, staring directly at the stall from nearby. “Thank you for the kind gifts, Yellow Turban.”
“Many gratulations to you and your son, mister Adam,” Yellow Turban replied with a knowing look, a small smirk across his face, one that said they were more than able to take care of their business.
My favourite NPC has returned!